The Plight Of Early NBA Stardom- Former Pro Arrested For Packing Heat

Want to get pulled over by police? Here is the suggested list of circumstantial ingredients for spending at least one night in jail. First, let the frenzied rally of Saturday night slowly blend into the early hours of Sunday then take to the roadways. Next, leave the headlights off for the relaxing journey through the dark and empty streets.

Finally, upon being contacted by a patrol officer, allow the lingering smoke of a ganja cigarette to permeate the scene and guarantee a search of your automobile.

Wearing his chefs hat, Ex-playground phenom Sebastian Telfair cooked up a self-induced scandal as he was arrested in New York Sunday morning for a laundry list of charges, including the possession of three loaded firearms.

According to Fox News, the once first round draft pick of the Portland Trailblazers burst onto the radar screen of a New York city police officer when operating a moving vehicle with the headlights turned off. Telfair and an 18-year-old male passenger were pulled over and the law enforcement professional conducted a search of the vehicle after receiving a hefty whiff of marijuana smoke. Both men were placed under arrest and taken into custody, with arraignment hearings expected in the early part of the week.

Telfair created an iconic legacy as a spry and lanky teenager at the legendary Rucker Park in Harlem. With a prevalence of scouts constantly scouring the pick-up games and all-star leagues for the opportunity to sign the next Kareem or Dr. J to a college scholarship or professional contract. However, Telfair never developed past the role of an NBA journeyman and after time with 8 different teams marked by intrepid inconsistency, his career ended in 2015 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This is the second notable incident within the calendar year where a prevalence of talent and the promise of greatness was effectively terminated through a lack of critical thinking skills ensconced in entitlement and greed. Ex-Boston Celtic Nate Driggers of Chicago land fame was sentenced to significant jail time for his role in the rail yard gun heist in purchasing 30 of the stolen firearms.

Perhaps the neighborhood dream of reaching fame and fortune through exploits on the hardcourt has to be replaced by the reality of a shortage of workers in jobs that require a skill set propagated through a rigorous STEM and vocational education directive. While gaining acceptance into college has replaced the high school diploma as the new standard of success for tough luck communities, the sustaining a living in the Hollywood type atmosphere of the NBA boils down to the lottery-like odds of generational talent and blind ass luck.